Avenging Us
by Leana-Vine
Summary: The Avengers all live in Stark Tower together in harmony almost. That is until Steve starts to form feelings for someone on the team like what he had for Peggy. But for a man. Tony Stark. Yes, this is a man/man yaoi. If that's an issue don't read. Now rated M for language and light sexual conduct. Steve/Tony I don't own the Avengers or any characters in this story or the cover.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay guys, new story. Freshly edited. And this is a warning: **THIS STORY IS A YAOI, WHICH MEANS MAN ON MAN ACTION. MALE/MALE. GET IT? I DON'T WANT ANYONE JUDGING ME OR GAY PEOPLE. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HOMOSEXUALITY I APOLOGIZE. EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION. THAT SAID, PLEASE TAKE THAT OPINION ELSEWHERE. NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO READ THIS STORY.**

Now then, if you like yaoi, yay! Thanks for coming to read my story! Please give me reviews but don't be mean. I accept criticism but not bullying. I will not tolerate it.

This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

Tony had just nailed Steve square in the jaw. Tony knew just a single punch without having his supersuit on would hardly effect the super soldier. That punch was for him - for the sake of feeling better. Sadly enough, Tony didn't feel any different. He was still completely pissed.

Steve looked at Tony with confusion and shock on his face. "Tony…."

Tony still looked agitated beyond compare. He'd never been so angry before. Tony was almost growling with each breath he took. "You stupid bastard…." he grumbled. "You don't understand anything, do you? Nothing about people, or love, or how I work." Tony grabbed the younger man by the shirt and pulled him down to his level. "I am Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark. I may bullshit around with random bimbos, and people may call me a playboy, but I am capable of real feelings. It doesn't happen often, but I know how to love!"

He pushed Steve back and ran fingers through his jet black hair. Then he threw his arm back in anger and glared again at Steve. "For Christ's sake, I gave up Pepper for you! Do you even understand- can you comprehend how hard that was for me? One of the most important people in my life will have nothing to do with me now, because of you!"

Steve was still confused, but now a bit angry. "Me? What did I do?"

Tony groaned, pulling at his black hair in frustration. "You made me think that-" he paused before glaring down at his shoes, "that there was something…with us." He looked back up at Steve, still angry but now blushing slightly in an endearing yet infuriated way. "You had me convinced that you had feelings for me too. But no, I ended up being your plaything. I guess I've been doing that to women for a long time, but damn it at least I never pulled it off with emotion. Somehow you did it perfectly…you made me think that you loved me too…."

After that, Steve was left dumbfounded as Tony walked away from him. Steve watched him leave his lab and go up the stairs. He could only wonder what had set Tony off and made him so angry. He wondered why after having such a nice night together a few days ago, why was Tony now accusing him of being a stupid bastard that didn't understand anything? Maybe if he backtracked a bit, it'd make some sort of sense….

~Four Weeks Prior~

Steve was in his room at Stark Tower. After the fights with Loki, the Avengers had all decided to live in Stark Tower together. It had been a mostly mutual decision; Tony had just decided not to fight it. Steve liked his room, and he liked being close to everyone else, but all the technology in this place that Tony had created made him feel like a caveman.

At the moment, Steve was rereading one of his favorite books, _David Copperfield_. He was lounged back on his bed with his right arm folded behind his head, right knee propped up on the bed, left leg hanging off the bed and swaying a bit since he couldn't keep still. Joseph Suk string quartet music spilled out of the stereo in his room in a calming melody. Steve was completely relaxed.

Then he heard loud knocking at his door - extremely loud, heavy knocking - that he assumed would be from Thor. He half smiled a bit and marked his page in the book, setting it to the side. Steve then rose from his bed and answered the door.

Instead of the expected Thor standing there, Tony stood there in his Iron Man suit with the mask risen up. "Could you turn that sissy music down, Cap? I can hear it from the lab downstairs," Tony said in a slightly annoyed tone.

Steve looked back to the stereo then to Tony. "It bothers you?"

Tony sighed. "Well it's pretty and all, but when I'm downstairs working on my suit, trying to blast my AC/DC and I can hear quartet music upstairs it's a bit distracting."

Steve chuckled a bit then nodded. "Okay, I'll turn it down." He walked back to his stereo and turned down the knob, just as the song was changing to a Debussy classic. "So, why are you walking around in your Iron Man suit?" Steve asked.

Tony stepped in with loud steps, stretching the robotic arms above his head. "I made a few modifications and I was going to go try them out. You could be my test dummy, if you'd like."

Steve laughed then shook his head. "No, not me, not today. You could ask Thor, though. I bet he'd be more than happy to help you."

Tony scanned around the room with his eyes and spotted the book on Steve's bed. "Whatcha reading there, super soldier? Not some girly little erotica book, I hope."

The Captain walked over, shaking his head, and picked up the book. "No, it's _David Copperfield_. It's one of my favorites. I finished it last night again so I decided to reread it."

Tony walked over to him, his feet pounding. "Geez, you must really like this guy then, huh?" he pondered.

Steve smiled and shook his head. "No, David Copperfield is the name of the book, not the author," Steve corrected him.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well I bet he's a character and I bet you keep rereading that old book because you have eyes for him, or whatever." The Iron Man looked at the door as if expecting someone to be standing there, then he turned his attention back to Steve. "Well, I'm off then to test the suit. Oh, and uh, if I blow up again, this time, can you make sure no one calls Pepper? Last time she almost killed me. I was more afraid of her than the suit malfunction."

Steve grinned a bit then nodded. "I'll do my best there, sir."

Tony flashed him a smile then returned the nod. "'Kay. Take it easy there, Cap. Don't go falling in love with that book of yours. I'd hate to hear you're getting paper cuts in all the wrong places."

With that last little snide remark, Tony was gone. Steve closed the door behind him then paused there. He leaned his head against the door, a slight pink blush springing to his cheekbones. Just recently he'd become a bit infatuated with the billionaire playboy. After Tony fell out of the sky and Hulk caught him, and Steve was starting to think that maybe Tony was dead, he felt all these emotions swell inside him. They were feelings he hadn't felt since his kiss with Peggy. He just admired Tony so much for his sacrifice and he prayed that Tony wasn't dead. When Tony was back and jokingly asked, "Please tell me no one kissed me," Steve smiled then came to the realization that…_he almost had._

Since then Cap had been trying to make sense of his emotions. He hadn't even know Tony very long, and in the time he'd come from homosexuality was something that would never even be considered, let alone thought of. So then, why was Steve having these thoughts?

The super soldier yelled then punched a large dent into the metal door in front of him. He breathed heavily, and in a raspy tone whispered, "I'm no pansy…." He pulled his hand from the door and shook it out, popping one of his fingers. He walked back over to his bed and jumped on it hardly, sprawling out on his back. His book fell down the crack between the bed and the wall, but Cap didn't care.

He was tired of all these jumbled feelings that didn't make sense. He was tired of his breath catching in his throat at certain things Tony said to him. But most of all, he hated the feeling that just by having thoughts like this, he was betraying Peggy. The woman wasn't around anymore, she was _gone_, but still she haunted his thoughts. And in these thoughts of Tony, she still lingered, looking so sad, but also angry like she'd been when Steve kissed another girl before her. Was that was this was? Something as meaningless as with that girl? Was Cap's heart really still so dedicated to Peggy? He wanted to believe that it was.

Down in his lab, Tony grew a bit sad at not hearing Steve's music playing. Though it was irritating trying to listen to his AC/DC music over all that classic mumbo-jumbo, he sort of liked the melodies. They were proof to him that he wasn't alone, even when he was in his lab all my himself. Sometimes he didn't like feeling lonely.

"Alright, JARVIS," Tony murmured at first then called out to the AI system, "I'm going to try the new repulsors. Don't you dare have Dummy douse me with a fire extinguisher unless I actually _catch on fire _this time. Pisses me off when you do that for no reason."

"There is never harm in being safe, sir," JARVIS replied to him.

Tony rolled his eyes then armed the repulsor. "Alright, lets do this."

Bruce sat at the table drinking a coffee - black - reading today's paper. Natasha was reading over a recipe for apple cobbler quickly. She had recently decided that she didn't want Tony's chefs cooking for them anymore, that she wanted to assume the position. Of course Tony had thought a bit less than 'La-di-da' about the proposal, but he didn't protest that either. Maybe he'd become soft lately, but he just didn't want to protest any of the Avengers' decisions, no matter how odd or stupid they were.

In the serenity of kitchenette, all the stillness was ruined. Bruce's coffee cup vibrated on it's saucer as a muffled 'boom' came from one of the lower levels. Bruce looked at his coffee cup and so did Natasha.

"Oh damn it, Tony," Bruce mumbled. He and Natasha hurried for the stairs only to notice that Thor and Steve were just ahead of them. Where was Clint? Damn it, was he still asleep at this time? Leave it to Clint to sleep through a small explosion downstairs.

The four of them hurried to the lab and Bruce quickly typed in the code to let them all in. Upon entering the lab, they all noticed two things, to each of them in different orders. One, there was a large black-rigged hole in one of the walls and some fire burning around it. Two, Tony was on his back on the floor. Bruce and Natasha ran to the fire to put it out while Steve and Thor hurried over to Tony.

Steve picked up Tony's head and put it on his knees as he knelt down by his head. "Tony? Tony! Are you alright?" Concern was splattered all over his voice. Thor stood by Steve, cooling his heels as he waited for any requests to carry the man to the infirmary or to his room.

Tony's eyes fluttered open, crossing a bit at first as his head turned lightly back and in fourth in confusion. "Wha…what happened?" He tried to sit up, but Steve kept him firm to his lap. "Did it work?"

Steve chuckled a bit. "I'd say it worked, whatever it was."

Tony swallowed, holding up his robotic arm. "I was testing the new repulsor. It's got a lot more kick than the other."

Steve looked at Tony's hands, confused. "You only upgraded one?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, one's normal, and this new one is sort of like the big guns." He let out a choked laugh and Steve put a hand on his forehead.

"You blew yourself off your feet. You're lucky you didn't crack your head open," Steve told him with stern eyes like a father talking down to his child.

Tony took time to notice that his head was in Steve's lap, then his eyes wandered. "Yeah, well, I could have a concussion, just saying. No need to make a big thing about it, though." Steve helped him sit up. "I feel fine, really." With that lie, Tony collapsed onto Steve. Steve caught the genius man's head and noticed blood now on his hand. Maybe he'd spoken too soon about Tony cracking his head open.

Steve looked up to Thor and asked the big man nicely if he could carry Tony up to his room. Thor nodded and draped the man over his shoulder before hurrying back upstairs. Steve thought about if maybe they should take off Tony's supersuit to make him more comfortable, but as he looked at the fires that hadn't been put out yet, he decided there'd be time to think about that later. Instead he hurried over to see if he could help Nat, Bruce, and Dummy at all.

Tony woke up in a panic on his bed, not in his supersuit anymore. His head was killing him. He felt the back of his head and traced his fingers around to his forehead as he noticed someone had bandaged his head. He laid back down with a groan.

Steve came into his room then, quietly closing the door behind him. He smiled a bit at Tony, walking over to his bedside. "Hey, Tony. How's that head doing?"

Tony cocked an eyebrow at him then shook away his question, choosing to ignore him. "What the hell happened?" he asked groggily.

Steve sat down on the bed by Tony's legs. "Well, after you blew yourself up, we all came down into your lab to help you, but you had a concussion. So Thor carried you up here and I wrapped up your head. JARVIS deactivated your armor. You're just lucky that thick skull of yours didn't crack," he joked.

Tony half smiled. "Yeah, I guess so, but you don't have to baby me. So I bumped my head. I'm fine." Tony tried to sit up but then hissed at the stinging pain in the back of his head and laid back down. He looked at the doubtful Steve, then said with a huff, "You know, if someone gets a concussion you're not supposed to let them sleep for a while."

Steve looked at him suspiciously. "Really?" Then he shrugged. "Well I don't know anything medical." He leaned to Tony's nightstand and grabbed the gauze. "I should probably change your bandages."

Tony waved a hand then reached for the gauze for himself. "No, don't be stupid. I can do it myself, just give it to me."

Steve glared at him. "I'm not stupid, I'm trying to help you. Now why don't you just hold still and let me do it?"

Tony looked away with his eyes. "I don't need anyone's help." When Steve tried to take off his bandages, Tony slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" he yelled.

Steve grit his teeth. "Why are you so stubborn? Why won't you let anyone help you? Are you so self-centered that you really think you can take care of yourself? Have you forgotten that you have robots to do everything for you?"

Tony sat up, his eyes boring into Steve's. "Yeah, robots _I _created. I can take care of myself. I can do something as petty as bandaging myself!" His headache started to be too much, though, and Tony laid back down. He sighed then held his hand back out for the gauze.

Steve's glare softened then he shook his head, lightly pushing away Tony's hand. He started to take off Tony's bandages again. "You can try to kick my ass when you're healed, but until then _I _am going to take care of you."

Tony looked at him angrily. "Why? Why do you care, Rogers?"

Steve stopped then looked down at Tony's face. He swallowed then answered, "Because we're teammates, we look out for each other. That's how things are. …Besides," he turned his attention to Tony's bandages again, "if I had been your test dummy, I would've been wrapped up way more than you. I can only think that maybe you might've cared that I was hurt too."

Tony just watched him now, more calmed down. _This man_…. Why did he still care so much even after Tony was such a jerk to him? Tony sighed as he thought to himself. Why _was_ he such a jerk? He hated being a burden to people, so he tended to want to take care of himself or maybe have JARVIS' help, but he didn't want anyone else to worry about him. He wasn't used to having people care about him. He still wasn't even too used to having Pepper pay him so much attention, though he knew he needed her around. Now Steve?

Speak of the angel, a knock came at the door then Pepper walked in. She went right to Tony's bedside, her arms crossed as she looked down at Tony annoyed. "Jeez, you're always doing something to yourself, huh Stark?"

Tony smiled a bit weakly up at her. "Nice to see you too, Pep. I was just telling Cap here, if I'm to die from this, your's is the last face I wanted to see."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, sitting on her knees by the bedside. "Oh, stop lying, Tony." She smiled at Steve. "Hey Steve. Thanks for looking after him, but I can take it from here."

Steve nodded, swallowing dryly. He gave her a strained smile. "Sure thing, Pepper. Just glad he didn't kill himself before you could get here." He stood from the bed and let Pepper assume his position. He walked to the door and took one last quick glance at the happy couple before walking out. Once in the hallway, he sighed. _'Damn,' _he thought to himself. As he walked to his room, fists tight, he repeatedly thought to himself, _'I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm not gay.' _And he continued to think that until he was in the safety of his own room, where he could be as questioning as he wanted to be. "Tony…."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

For the next few days, Pepper stayed glued to Tony's side. He was bedridden, so she was always there to take care of him, get him food - the woman even kept watch over him when he tried to go to the bathroom. Talk about awkward, even for a girlfriend. Steve was annoyed by it. Girlfriend or not, Tony must've been smothered by her. The woman was there during everything; Tony never got any privacy or peace. What really angered Steve was that Tony had rejected help from him, but he seemed to accept it from Pepper. Did Tony really have a problem with him?

Steve planned to confront Tony about what was going on, and he found perfect timing too. Something came up with the company, an important meeting, and Pepper couldn't stick to Tony any longer. She had to go to represent him and confront any press about why Tony hadn't been showing up anywhere for almost a week.

As she pulled on her jacket and stepped into her shoes, she asked Steve, "Could you please watch him just until I get back?" It sounded more like Pepper was asking him to baby-sit rather than…Tony-sit. Was that how she really saw Tony? As someone so helpless and pathetic?

Steve nodded in agreement. "Sure thing. Don't worry about him; I've got this under control." He gave her a small smile as reassurance.

Pepper smiled back at him. "Thank you, Steve." With that she left.

Steve swallowed before entering Tony's room. Already, Tony was grimacing at him. Steve cocked an eyebrow at him. What? Did Tony hold a grudge this entire time? Somehow, Tony managed to already have him on the brink of being pissed off. "What?"

Tony shook his head, sitting up on his elbows. "I just don't see why she picked you to watch me, that's all. I mean, I can take care of myself. It's a head injury, not a broken leg. I really don't have to stay in bed. I'm fine."

Steve shook his head, sitting on the bed beside Tony's leg. Tony jerked his leg away, and Steve glanced down at it, sighed, then looked back up at the bedridden man again. "You seemed to be accepting Pepper's care just fine. Why do you hate it when I try to help you so much? Do you have a problem with me?"

Tony nodded angrily. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do have a problem with you. I'm tired of you trying to be a goody-two-shoes and trying to take care of me. I can take care of myself. I don't need you, and I don't need anyone. I _want _Pepper's help, you see? Because she's my girlfriend. Hell, I'd accept help from Bruce or anyone else here, because they're my friends. But _you_? I just don't like you. You pretend to be some nice guy and you never express any anger. It pisses me off. What are you trying to prove? Who are you trying to impress by trying to help everyone and be nice to everyone?"

Steve ground his teeth together. "Are you asking me to not care about you?" That was like asking the impossible, oddly enough.

Tony nodded, laughing out of anger, then he glared. "That's exactly what I want. I don't like you, _Rogers_. My dad might've been your biggest fanboy, but I sure as hell ain't. You're the fakest person I know. Why don't you just express some real anger for once? Get fucking **mad**!"

Steve stood quickly from the bed. "Fuck you, Tony. I try to help you and you don't even give a damn. Screw you!" The smile on Tony's face faded when he backhanded a lamp off of Tony's nightstand, sending to shatter on the floor. "I try to care about you because you're my teammate, but I don't like bullies. And you know what you are, Tony? You're not just a bully, you're a fucking _coward_. You hide in a metal suit and call yourself a hero. That's like calling the guy driving a tank the strongest man alive. Don't you see? Without that suit, you're nothing! Worthless! You want me to get angry? You want me to get pissed off?" Steve completely tossed over Tony's nightstand table, sending hurtful noises into the air. He practically roared as he did it too. Tony had created a wild animal.

"I don't like being angry, Tony! But I can't fucking take it anymore! Person I care the fucking most about in this whole damn place wants me to get fucking angry! God damn it!" He punched a massive hole in the wall, then bent over, picking up Tony by the collar of his shirt. "Are you happy?" he growled. "Does this make you happy? Does this _excite _you? To see me so angry? Am I fake now? Just because I like being nice and showing self restraint you hate me? Fuck you." He released Tony hardly back onto the bed. "If you can take care of yourself, then do it. I'm not going to wipe your ass."

And then Steve was gone, an angry rage monster of his own. Tony was left bewildered. That was a bigger explosion than what he'd anticipated. He just laid there quietly, not saying anything as he thought. Tony kept his eyes on the door, part of him hoping that Steve would come back so they could apologize to each other. Tony didn't want to be mean, he didn't know what was wrong with him. It just pissed him off how happy Steve always seemed to be. _Was he jealous_? Was that it? Jealous of _Steve_?

When Pepper came back, she was freaking out, asking Tony what happened, but he just ignored her. She checked his bandages, to make sure he was alright, then she kept asking where Steve was and why he wasn't watching him. Tony didn't want to listen to her.

"Pepper- Pepper!" Finally the woman stopped talking. "Can I…" he sighed, "can I just be alone for a little bit?

She was quiet for a second before saying, "But Tony, you've been alone this entire time. I need to take care of you."

"Pepper, please? I'm fine, really."

She was quiet before nodding. Pepper leaned down and kissed his forehead through the gauze. "If you need me, call for me, okay?" Then she stood and walked out, closing the door behind her.

When she was gone, Tony sat up and unraveled the gauze from his head as he shuffled to his bathroom. There were imprints on his forehead of where the gauze had been, and by using two mirrors, he could see ugly, dark purple scars on the back of his head. It was enough to make him groan in disgust. Tony put down the mirror he held in his hand and sighed.

Tony drug his feet back into his room, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up and saw Steve standing in his room and it almost gave him a heart attack. It _was _enough to make him stumble backwards and gasp. "Jesus Christ, Steve, what are you doing in here? You nearly scared the shit out of me."

Steve stepped over and turned Tony's nightstand back onto it's legs. Then he was looking down at the floor. After Tony's mini freakout, he hesitated then looked up and connected eyes with the startled man. "Tony…I'm sorry."

Tony's face softened as he calmed down, then he swallowed, regaining his posture. "Do you mean about scaring me just then or about what happened a few hours ago?" This could be taken as a sarcastic joke or a serious question.

Steve cleared his throat nervously. "Both, I guess." It was almost funny to Tony, seeing him this way. But he was still upset about before.

Tony looked down at the floor. "It was my fault. I'm the one that told you-"

"Please, Tony," Steve interrupted him, "don't blame yourself like that. I should've kept my cool. It's just," with one long stride he was right in front of Tony, and Tony was taking in a sharp breath and looking up at the super soldier, "it bothers me that you don't want me to help you with anything. I feel like you hate me. …I know that we didn't get along in the beginning of the Avengers Initiative, but I thought that was all behind us. I thought we were actually friends now."

Tony shook his head lightly, swallowing a bit as he tried to muster the right words that he wanted. "That's crazy. I don't mean you're crazy. I don't hate you. We worked together and fought Loki together. You're my teammate; I don't hate any of my teammates."

Steve was confused and still a bit sad. "But what about what you said before, about the others being your friends and how you didn't like me?"

Tony shook his head. "No, I didn't mean any of that. I swear. I mean the others are my friends, but you are too."

"Then why don't you ever want my help?"

Tony sighed, running his hand through his hair. He paused after he remembered there wasn't gauze on his head. His eyes drifted up to meet Cap's, then he pursed his lips as he thought. "Okay, you want to help me? I'll let you rewrap my head." He walked over to the bed and sat down so he could get the gauze from the nightstand drawer.

With no hesitation, Steve sat next to Tony on the bed and waited to intercept the gauze. Tony looked him over with his eyes then placed the bandages in his palm. Steve commenced wrapping the gauze around Tony's head, unconsciously running his fingers through Tony's hair in the first round. Tony closed his eyes, feeling somehow completely relaxed. Usually when people other than Pepper - especially doctors - tended to him, he was on edge, which was another reason he never liked being helped in such ways, but with Steve it was different, especially when he was brushing his fingers through Tony's hair. A small sound of approval escaped Tony, and it made Steve half smile gladly.

"How much longer do you think I'll have to wear these bandages?" Tony asked, almost pitifully, with his eyes still closed to the super soldier.

Steve shrugged a bit and sighed. "There's no telling on my part, Tony. Like I said, I don't know anything medical. But maybe this time in bed is good for you. These have been days we didn't have to worry about you blowing up again." He let a small smile escape to his mouth.

Tony peeked at him with one eye. "But what if I like getting blown up?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow at him. "You _like _having a concussion and having your head cracked open?" He paused and swallowed. "You like me taking care of you like this?"

Tony opened both his eyes a bit widely. He curled in his lips and wet them anxiously. "I never said that."

Steve half smiled then pursed his lips. "I know." His voice was lower, like a whisper. "I was only asking a rhetorical question."

When Tony oddly got chills from that, he turned his eyes away. Steve tied off the bandage then leaned over Tony to put the gauze back in the nightstand drawer. Tony held his breath with having the Captain so close to him. When Cap sat back up straight, leaned away from him, Tony was able to breathe again. He had no idea what had just happened, why he'd had that reaction.

Steve looked down at the floor. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. His feelings weren't completely clear yet, but part of him was wanting to spontaneously burst out and admit feelings that might not even be true just to take a chance. The rest of him was thinking about Peggy….

Tony decided to be the one to break the silence. "Thank you for doing my head." Steve looked at him quickly, a slight pink blush jumping to his cheeks, and Tony turned his head away, red covering to his face as well. "I mean, my uh…" he pointed at the gauze on his head, "b-bandages. …Not my head."

Steve was still blushing at what the man said, but then he smiled. With a small laugh in his voice he said, "Yeah, no problem."

Tony looked at him a bit frustrated but still blushing. It was _adorable_. "What?"

Steve laughed again and waved a hand like he was waving it all away. "No, it's nothing. I'm just being immature. It's fine." He smiled, laughing again.

Tony's heart fluttered, and he almost punched himself in the arc reactor to make it stop. It was just…that smile of Steve's. Hearing him laugh. It made him happy. Tony smiled and laughed a bit too, his blush going down to just a moderate pink - even more adorable then before. "Yeah, well, I guess I did sort of accidentally set myself up there."

As they laughed together, Pepper entered the doorway. She smiled at them and walked in. "Hey guys." She looked at Tony's head then at Steve. "Did you rewrap his head?"

They both ceased in laughter, but while Tony still smiled, Steve lost all happiness on his face. He cleared his throat. "Umm, yeah, I did. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, no happiness on her face either. "No, it's fine." Her eyes glanced at the nightstand now back on it's legs but still broken up, and the fist sized indention in the wall, then she looked back to Steve. These things had been here before, but now it clicked in her mind that he must've done those things and came back to apologize. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked.

Tony pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, because there's nothing going on. He wrapped my head and he was just about to leave." He seemed defensive. Maybe even angry.

Steve looked down at the floor then back up at Pepper and nodded. "Yeah, I was, actually." He stood. "I'll leave you two." He glanced at Tony one last time and they connected eyes. After a shock of something electric, he hurried out of there.

Again, Tony found himself in a situation where he couldn't even listen to Pepper as she asked questions. He only thought about Steve, and if he'd been rude. _'Damn, why am I always such a jackass to that guy?'_ he wondered. He thought about Steve smiling and laughing and how it'd really made his heart dance.

"Pepper…can I have some privacy again? Last time I didn't really get it. Steve came in like right after you left. So it was more like company changed rather than privacy was granted." He felt awful about having to ask her for privacy again.

She looked at the floor and made out a single, sort of aggravated laugh. "Yeah, I get it. I've been with you for almost a week now. You must be tired of me. It's totally fine." When Tony didn't say anything, she laughed angrily, nodding and standing. "Alright, I'll go. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she was gone in a masked rage.

Tony frowned at the door. Was that the third time today he'd made someone leave completely pissed at him, or just the second? He didn't even want to think about it. Surprisingly, he didn't even want to think about Pepper. His mind drifted back to Steve. _Steve_. Why _Steve_?

Of all people, why did it have to be Steve?

And then Tony realized there was something more to this than he'd originally thought. The masquerade of thoughts in his head finally cleared out into something less vague, and his mind turned to his memories.

After he had traveled that nuke through the portal over Manhattan and killed all the Chitauri, and he was sure he would die…. How he woke up to something loud, and it was like his heart exploded. Over him stood the Hulk and Thor, but by his side, with a hand on his chest, was Steve. And though at first he looked around confused and rambling, when he looked back up at Steve, they connected eyes. And he asked, "Please tell me no one kissed me," with a joking smile. Steve just looked into his eyes, then away, somewhere distant, and said, "We won." The look that had once been on Steve's face, before he announced the victory, that look was something Tony couldn't decode. It was worry but relief, grief turned to joy, and remorse morphed into shock, all with a twinkle in his eye. Had Steve really thought that Tony was dead?

He thought about when the Avengers moved into Stark Tower after it was done being fixed up. Everyone else marveled at the place, but Steve's expression held something more. It was a jumbled mess of confusion and astonishment. He was the only person who was even impressed with the microwave. And it was so cute.

That's when Tony made sense of some of these feelings.

He thought that Steve was cute.

That was a bearable thought. That was okay. Who _wouldn't _think that Steve was cute? The man was just oozing with charm.

Something started to come over Tony. He slipped into thoughts like he'd never known. There was an incredible heat that radiated from his core and burned in his brain. He felt like he was melting - seeping away like an ooze from his former self. And as he closed his eyes, he entered a part of his mind that he hadn't ventured to before. Steve was there, waiting for him. He'd been waiting along.

"Tony…."

He tried furiously to hold in his voice as these feelings were overwhelming him. Steve pulled the hand from Tony's mouth, hovering over him so closely. "Don't do that." Steve's voice was so low and harmonic and…_seductive_.

Tony couldn't hold it in anymore, and with a gasp he let out his voice.

"Steve…."

He sounded so strained and innocent, like a whipped pup with his tail between his legs, but he kept coming back, begging and licking Steve's hand for more attention. For more of everything. He wanted all of it.

"Steve…!"

His body writhed in feelings of extreme heat and ecstasy. He could feel Steve's breath on him, and it only made things hotter.

"Tony…"

"Steve…"

"Say it again, Tony."

"Steve!"

Tony shot up in a cold sweat. Steve was gone. The heat was fading. But the feeling in his hand remained ever present. In a flash he was in the bathroom, washing away the filth from his palm, disgust written in the stress wrinkles on his face.

"Oh god what did I do?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Is there anyone still there? I am sooooo sorry! It's been like over 3 weeks I am so sorry! Feel free to hate me for making you all wait so long; I feel terrible about it. But guess what? That's right!

WE'RE OVER THE 1,000 HITS MARK ON THIS STORY! AHH! I'M SO PROUD!

This is the third story of mine to surpass 1,000 hits, and I'm just thrilled about it! Thank you all so, so much for your reading and continued support! I guess my writing isn't stupid after all! Thanks again so much!

Well, as always, please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

The next day, Tony was hesitant to leave his room. Before, he had been itching to get out of bed and stretch his legs, to be allowed back into his lab so he could finish alterations to the repulsors in the suit, but now… Well he didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Steve. He still couldn't believe what he did the night before.

Tony sat up in his bed, his head in his hands. _'I jacked off to the thought of Steve last night,'_ he thought to himself. It was hard enough to admit in his head. He sure as hell didn't want to say it out loud_. 'God, just kill me now. Why didn't I die when I cracked my skull open?'_

There was a knock at his door, and Tony's stomach turned into a pretzel. That could be anyone: Pepper, who he didn't feel like he could face - it felt like he cheated on her last night - it could be Steve, which was the worst possibility, or it could be Bruce.

'_Oh god, please let it be Bruce.' _He didn't plan on telling anyone about what he did, but maybe talking to Bruce would calm him down. "Uh, come in." Tony held his breath.

When Pepper opened the door, Tony tensed up. _'Oh shit…' _he cursed in his mind. Just seeing her made Tony sweat. Inside he was trying to calm himself down. _'Pepper doesn't have to know, and I'm not going to tell her. It's not like you actually had sex with Steve last night-' _Tony gagged, putting a hand over his mouth.

Pepper, surprised, hurried to his side. "Are you okay? Bruce told me that the concussion could make you feverish. Do you feel ill?" Tony shook his head. "Well then what's the matter? Do you need any medications? Do you have stomach aches?"

Tony shook his head again. "No, it's not like that." When he looked into Pepper's worried eyes, his stomach churned even more. _'God, this is not what I need right now. This is torture.'_

"I'm not sick," Tony explained. "I just got a little dizzy when I sat up, I guess," he lied. It was a believable lie though, and Tony was proud of himself for coming up with it so quickly.

Pepper made a 'tsk' sound and then felt his forehead with the back of her hand, and compared it to the temperature of her own forehead, just to be sure.

Tony tensed up a bit at her touch. "Damn, Pep, your hands are like ice."

"You're not feverish," she alerted him. "I thought you'd be out of bed by now. The scars seem to have healed up, and though they're still tender you should be able to get around, but if you're having dizzy spells then I don't know."

Tony shook his head and started to stand. "No I'm fine. It was just the one time. I feel fine."

At that moment, Steve walked in the door - without knocking, Tony noticed. Tony's eyes widened and he blushed just at the sight of him. "Steve!"

Steve froze as if he was a deer caught in headlights. "Am I interrupting? I should've knocked, shouldn't I?" His eyes darted back and fourth from Tony to Pepper.

Without thinking, Tony grabbed his pillow. "Get out, Steve!" he yelled, and he hurled the pillow at the door.

Steve didn't even flinch when it hit him with a 'poof' sound and then fell to the floor. He looked at Tony confused, then his mouth pressed into a line, before he closed the door.

Tony turned back to a very confused Pepper. "Did something happen between you two?" she asked.

'_God Pepper, choice of words - not good.'_ When he touched the back of his head, he could feel the rough scars through his hair, and for a second he was grateful that it hadn't been necessary to shave the hair off of that part of his head. "Well, sort of," Tony tried to explain. He still didn't want to tell Pepper the truth. "Just something that happened last night. I'm fine, I just don't feel up to talking to him about it yet."

'_Yet?' _Tony thought to himself. _'Why would I plan on telling Steve what happened? I wouldn't __**dream**__ of-'_ Tony stopped in his thoughts, thinking about his poor choice of wording, and his cheeks flushed red again.

Pepper stood in front of him. "Does this have anything to do with the hole in your wall and your busted up nightstand?"

Tony looked away with his eyes then back to her and nodded. "Uh huh, yep. That's what it's about. I'm still mad about that."

Pepper didn't look convinced. "Are you sure you're not feverish? Your cheeks are red now." She felt his face. "And your face is hot. Maybe you'd better lie down."

Tony shook his head. "No. I think I'll get dressed. Fresh air would do me some good."

Pepper hesitated to accept that proposal, but still nodded and half smiled at him. "Just don't go and get yourself hurt again, okay? I hate it when you're bedridden. It's too quiet around here, and I have to cover for you at all of the press conferences."

Tony chuckled once then nodded to her, a small smile forced to his face. "I'll do my best. Promise."

When she smiled at him and walked out, Tony felt like he could breathe again. He mumbled curses at himself as he picked up his pillow, tossing it back on his bed. It was one thing to yell at Steve, but why had he thrown a pillow? That was so childish, not like him at all. Tony stopped to wonder about that for a second, but then he let it pass.

He walked to his closet, picking out a gray t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, along with his underwear, and then went to his bathroom to shower. Truthfully, he hadn't had a real shower in days. He'd only been able to bathe and clean himself with wet washrags because he couldn't get the bandages on his head wet. He hated baths, how they made him feel like he was sitting in just a pool of his own filth. Now he was free to shower for as long as he wanted. Tony closed his eyes, letting the water hit him right in the face. It burned a bit, but he didn't care.

After standing under the water for a few minutes, Tony's mind started to fall away again like it had the night before.

'_No,' _Tony thought to himself in distress. _'Not again.' _He wasn't sure how much more of this humiliation he could take.

Tony was stone underneath the hot falling water, his eyes still closed to the stream. He ran a hand through his raven hair, letting it flow like black satin between his fingers. The only sound he could hear was that of the rushing water.

As he stood there, a pair of hands ran up his back, feeling the tight muscles there and rubbing circles in them to relax them. Tony sighed with approval, smiling a bit - to his own surprise.

"So tense…" he heard a voice say, and he recognized it as Steve's.

Tony swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He said nothing as he stood there, defenseless and for some reason letting this happen. _'What's wrong with me? Why aren't I stopping him?' _His breath caught in his throat as Steve's hands worked their way around to Tony's chest.

"What did you dream about last night?" he asked, as if already knowing the answer. He teased Tony mentally as he teased Tony on the outside by his nipples. A short sound of approval escaped Tony again and the hands started to drift down.

"You," Tony answered. Then his voice was lost to him again as he held his breath. He tried his best to keep himself from making any more sounds.

"Mmm that's nice." Was Steve talking about the fact that Tony dreamt about him or the involuntary reactions coming from Tony's body?

Tony's body felt hot, almost over-heated. Maybe it was from the steaming water, maybe it was from the way Steve was touching him. Maybe it was a combination of both. "Ah, Steve…."

There was silence for a second before the hands were ripped from Tony.

"Steve?"

Tony's eyes opened wide. That was Pepper's voice.

He spun around and there stood Pepper in her underwear, looking terrified. Was she even breathing? Tony wasn't.

"**Steve?**" she yelled again. "You thought I was **Steve**?"

Tony held up his hands in defense. "Now Pepper, listen to me-"

"What the **fuck**?" she screamed. "What the hell does that mean?" She stepped out of the shower, grabbing her shirt off the floor and putting it on.

Tony stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. "Pepper I know that looks bad but, really, I can explain."

She paused for a second, mid-pulling up her pants, as if she was actually listening for an explanation. Tony was suddenly left without words. He stuttered as he tried to find them. "Uh-uh…w-we…" They weren't forming correctly.

Pepper groaned and pulled up her pants over her wet skin. "I cannot _believe_ this!" She stood up straight again. "What am I supposed to take from this, Tony? Huh? Are you gay? Is that what's going on between you and Steve? What happened last night that you can't talk about? Did you sleep with him? You cheated on me with **Steve**? You don't love me anymore?" she shouted in question.

Tony shushed her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Pepper, _please_ keep your voice down and I'll explain."

She shrugged off his hands and glared at him. Pepper remained that way for a few seconds before crumbling in front of him, just sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't cover her face or try to wipe away her tears. Pepper just stood there, not able to control herself.

Tony's heart felt like it was breaking inside of his chest. "Pepper…"

She slapped him across the face, and for a few seconds it was quiet between them. Pepper sniffled a bit and then her rage returned back. She said nothing more; she just left.

Tony was still for another few seconds before chasing after her. "Pepper wait!" He stopped in the hallway outside his bedroom door to watch her get in the elevator. He thought about following her, if it would be worth it to let the entire complex see him in a towel running after her, but then he decided that for right now it would be best to leave her alone; there would be time later for explanation. He groaned and leaned against his doorway, one hand still on the fold of his towel, just for safety.

"Tony?"

Tony turned and Steve was standing right there. He gasped and almost lost his towel, but his grip tightened at the sight of the super soldier. "Steve!" For a moment in his mind, he grumbled, _'Damn, doesn't anyone else live here?'_

Steve looked him over quickly then asked, "What happened?" For just a second, he considered making jokes about Tony as payback for all the plays against him, but the look on Tony's face suggested that right now was definitely not a good time, and such jokes would be in awful taste.

Tony put a hand on his own forehead, letting his head fall back against the wall. "You scared me." He looked at the patient Steve and sighed. "I had a small fight with her, it's fine."

Steve swallowed. "Why are you all wet?" For once, the time traveling super soldier couldn't keep his mind from wandering. Still, in his mind he chanted, _'I'm not a pansy,' _but to his surprise, Peggy wasn't lingering in these thoughts.

Tony laughed a bit, looking down at himself. _'He doesn't ask why I'm naked and in a towel, but why I'm all wet.' _Then he looked back up at Steve. "I was in the shower when we fought."

Steve was momentarily confused, but he didn't press the subject. "Why did you throw a pillow at me this morning?"

Tony choked a bit, having forgotten that almost completely. "Right, I actually did that, didn't I?" Steve nodded, and Tony wondered how he could explain. "Uh, we were fighting then, too. It just wasn't a good time for visitors. The pillow was the closest thing that I could throw." That was a fairly good excuse.

"Oh," Steve murmured. "Well, I'm sorry, Tony. I know women can sometimes be hard to understand. Peggy and I argued in our time, too." What was he doing? Trying to comfort Tony? He knew nothing about women; Peggy had told him so.

Tony laughed a bit. "Yeah, well, Steve, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I'm sort of not wearing anything under this towel so…" He drifted off, blush coming to his cheeks again.

Steve swallowed and looked away, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing a bit too. "Yeah, you should probably get dressed. And I'll just leave you alone. I'm sorry if I bothered you." With that, Steve walked away quickly.

Tony frowned and then retreated back into his room so he could get dressed.

* * *

Tony didn't come out of his room for another hour or so. Clint and Bruce were on the couch, watching the news; Thor was in the kitchen with Steve, both of them sitting at the table as Natasha ordered pizzas over the phone.

"Yes, I'm serious. 10 pizzas. Is that so hard to believe? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm ordering this many?"

Tony shuffled out of his room and Bruce was the first to glance over at him. "Hey Tony-

"Geez! You look like hell," Clint interrupted, looking the man over with his eyes. "Did you get run over with a steam roller or something?"

Thor looked to Clint confused. "I do not understand. Are those not the things that Midgardians use to traverse water?"

Bruce shook his head. "That's a steam boat, Thor."

Thor cocked his head to the side. "Then are they the large metal things that travel across iron ladders on the ground?"

Natasha covered the mouth piece of the phone. "Those are trains." Then she was talking to the Italian again who thought it was a prank for her to order so many pizzas.

Steve had just been staring at Tony this entire time, and he didn't see why they would reference to a steam roller. Tony just looked weak and fatigued, hunched over a bit. He knew that it must be due to his fighting with Pepper, but it seemed no one else knew that the arguing had occurred. He didn't know if he should say anything about it.

"What is wrong with you, son of Stark?" Thor asked. "You seem not yourself, as the others have said. Is there an issue?"

Natasha even glanced in Tony's direction from where she still stood on the phone with the pizzeria. Bruce cocked an eyebrow as if saying 'Say _something_, Tony.'

Tony looked at all of them and then sighed, looking down at his feet. As he stuffed his hands in his pockets, he answered, saying, "I think things between Pepper and I are over."

Everyone was struck with bewilderment, and Natasha enough that she said into the phone, "I have to put you on hold," and then did so.

"But…things can't be over between you and Pepper," Clint stated in shock.

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, you guys are so inseparable. This must just be a misunderstanding. What did she say to you?"

Everyone was silent as they waited for Tony to answer. He stood quietly before replying, "Well, it's not so much as what she said, as what _I _said."

Natasha cocked an eyebrow at him. "Did _you _break up with _Pepper_? Because, honestly, Stark, I never really thought I'd see the day."

Clint and Bruce nodded to each other as Tony ran a hand through his raven hair. "I didn't break up with her, I said something I shouldn't have. Something really, _really _out of time and place." He glanced at Steve only to meet eyes with him. With that, Steve felt somehow guilty.

"You didn't say anything about her weight, did you?" Clint asked. "Because that's just about the stupidest thing you can say to any woman anywhere. Even if you said she looked thinner, she can turn that around and say, 'Well was I fat before?' You can't win in a conversation like that." Clint really seemed to know that subject a little too well, and Bruce looked at him curiously.

Tony shook his head. "I didn't say anything bad about her, it was something I said about someone else." Now Steve was really suspicious that he could somehow be involved, but felt as if he was being a bit vain.

Natasha crossed her arms. "What exactly _did _you say, Tony?" She was tired of him eluding the topic.

Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not really something I can talk about. I didn't even mean to mention it around her; it was an accident, bringing it up. And it was really awkward with her, so I can't imagine talking about it ever again with anyone else."

Bruce was now turned completely towards him on the couch. "Well, Tony, whatever it is, you'll have to talk about it with her again when you sort things out. …You are going to sort things out with her, aren't you?" he asked, pulling off his glasses.

Tony smiled sheepishly down at the floor, then swallowed as he looked at Bruce. "I'm not sure. This was something really bad."

Thor smiled a bit. "Whatever occurrence has come, I know that you and your lady friend shall see it through. Was it not you that said 'nothing is impossible for a Stark?'"

Tony smiled at him a bit. "Thanks, Thor."

"And hey," Clint said from the couch, "it's good to see you out of your room. We were all starting to worry about you."

Tony sarcastically gasped. "No." He looked at Natasha. "Even you, Natasha?"

She rolled her eyes and picked up the phone again. "I need to finish the order for these pizzas." When she took the pizzeria off hold, there was shouting from the other end and she grimaced. "I told you, this isn't a prank call! I'm calling from Stark Tower, and I assure you, Mr. Stark would not be happy if his order was not filled." The other end now sounded calmer and she smiled a bit. "Yes, the order was for 10 pizzas."

Clint laughed a bit as all the others just smiled her way. "And the power of using the Stark name works again," Clint said in an announcer's voice.

Steve smiled at him, then looked to Tony again, his smile fading. He wondered what he and Pepper had fought about, and if he was involved, how? _'Whatever it is, I just hope it doesn't make Tony hate me even more than he already does. And I know he does to at least some point.' _


End file.
